Morning journal and courier., 1887-07-27
STORIES OF HIGH ROLLERS.
John P0ndfr Tells of the Good Ol
 Days When He Threw Away Mol

John Pondfr Tells of the Good old Days When He Threw Away Mon. ey.
 From the Philadelphia Times.l
 Few of the ancient gamesters who were good for one month at the West End are at Long Branch now. They are almost all gathered to their fathers, and the click of ivory chips or Abe Marks cheerful voice saying at faro, Gentlemen. this is a pleasant call," interests them no more.
 But found one genial old timer, once of Philadelphia, still lingering amid the joys of the Branch; nor does he lag super huous on the stage, for at sixty-fve years of age he takes as deep an interest in buy ing and selling stocks on Wall street, long and short, as he did when he left Philadel- phia and the wool business after the war with ducats to the amount of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, most of which he has yet This veteran wore a clover flower on the lapel of his coat and seemed to carry about him the perfume of peren- nial youth. It was John Pondir. At the supper table of the West End, as John slipped his "Formosa," he told many inter- esting incidents of bygone days and of the great games of Washington and New York. He pointed out to me old Ben Wood, of New York, the willy Congress- man, Fernando Woods brother, cadaver- ous-looking old man, who says he is only sixty-6ve years old, but, with parch- ment face, he looks to be one hundred. Ben Wood is the hero of the greatest game of faro ever played in America-a game without limit-at which in the early morn ing hours, after all nights play, Ben Wood rose up, after winning from John Morrissey, in his own gambling house in Twenty-fourth street. one hundred and sixty thousand dol lars. No wonder John Morrissey died poor. The supper table was cleared away, and John T. Thomas the boss waiter, who rules one hundred and twenty-five servants at the West End with the discipline of martinet, stood like stalwart Toussant L'Overture ready to close the supper room. But Jack Pondir went on with his story thus:
 "Young man, it hes been thirty odd years since saw young lawyer win five thousand six hundred dollars from Joe Hall in Phila- delphia, and twenty-five years (1862) since I won twelve thousand dollars at Pendleton's game in Washington. Money was plenty then. But am too old to play nowhere is not the same fire in my veins, although l do go over to Phil Daly's end play little cIibbage in the evening only to pass away the time.
 f'But'-and the old man's eye frightened like war horse snuff1ng the battle from afar -"But do remember the biggest game of bacearat ever played i1 this, and ss far as I know, in eny other country. I had moved to New York. Schuyler end Jimmy Wat son, the latter one of the best known sports in the State of New York, kept baccarat game at II West Twenty-fouI ih street, New York. The game was just becoming popular in this country. Jimmy Watson had invi- ted August Belmont, Lloyd Phoenix, Charles Keep, myself and one or two others I need not name, to @ swell dinner at his gam bling house. And it was a dinner. He gave us to understand that a little game might be expected after dinner, and with out limit.
 q got all the wine I wanted and was in bad luck. Six hundred dollars was mutu- ally agreed upon between us players as the limit for each turn.
 ''I played till one o'clock in the morning, and to my disgust found myself four thou sand five hundred dollars out and rose up from the table thinking had enough to last me all night, and laid down on 8 sofa in the front room till Charley Keep woke me up to take bottle of champagne. was not too sleepy to do that. My courage woke mp too. Keeps father-in-law was worth five million dollars, and he himself com manded unlimited cash, as did every man at that board. said: Charley, give me one thousand dollars He said: Certain ly, and as much more as you want l went at it again with varying fortune, pausing to hold my breath with astonish- ment to see Belmont make bet of sixty thousand dollars on one turn. Belmont won. By four o'clock in the morning Git was a hot August night in 197D I was winner of eleven thousand dollars, besides paying my one thousand dollar debt to Keep and outside of my loss early in the even- ing of four thousand five hundred dollars Lloyd Phosnix won too. We nearly 'busted' Jimmy Watson, for the entire party took from the bank that August night two hundred thou sand dollars. Jimmy Watson had to mort gage all his stud of fine race horses and his Jersey farms, and what became of him then I know not-but that was great night"
 Pondir paused. His eyes had far off look He rose up. handed the head waiter 8 V and said with empressment:
 "Young man, don't gamble"